Cardinal Rodriguez: 'Church supports reconciliation in Honduras'

Tegucigalpa, Aug 10, 2009 / 11:51 am (CNA).- Speaking on Vatican Radio, Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa emphatically denied that the Church in Honduras has taken sides in the dispute between deposed President Manuel Zelaya and the interim government, rather, the Church supports reconciliation.

“The Church cannot align herself with one side in Honduras because the only thing she seeks is reconciliation, peace, and above all, understanding through dialogue,” the cardinal said.

In his call for a peaceful understanding between all parties, the cardinal said that “those who engage in violence will perish in violence. For this reason, we call on all Hondurans to seek unity in that which is essential.”

“Political parties can be legitimate, they can have different points of view, but in no way does this justify violating the law,” the cardinal reminded. “If we look back at what happened, we will discover the law was not respected because the highest authority was the first to violate it.”